With Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL) playoffs underway, the Peninsula Panthers rounded out the regular season by splitting their last two regular season games.

For owner and general manager Pete Zubersky, FridayB次元官网网址檚 win 5-3 over the Kerry Park Islanders and MondayB次元官网网址檚 4-1 loss against the Saanich Predators is a matter of perspective.

B次元官网网址淥ver the past two weeks we have been sitting out a number of key guys each game and on Monday we sat our top (forwards) and four of our top six defencemen,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭his allowed us to be rested and healthy going into the playoffs on Tuesday night, albeit, we gave up a couple wins in the win-loss column. But it only matters if you win your last game and not every game and so this is the route that our organization chose to go.B次元官网网址�

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Both games B次元官网网址� both played at North SaanichB次元官网网址檚 Panorama Recreation Centre B次元官网网址� were not without some significance though. Riley Braun, who entered FridayB次元官网网址檚 game as the leagueB次元官网网址檚 all-time scoring leader in the modern area (dating back to 1998) after having broken that record earlier this month, used FridayB次元官网网址檚 game to set a point record for a single season.

He tied the previous record of 118 points set by current Victoria Cougars Coach Brody Coulter in the first two periods with a goal and an assist, then broke it in the third period with an assist before adding another assist that same period to finish the regular season with 120 points.

B次元官网网址淗onestly, I didnB次元官网网址檛 feel any different,B次元官网网址� said Braun in an interview with Black Press Media on Sunday. While he thought it might sink in after the season, he said right now it feels like any other game. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 just so focused on playoffs and trying to win a championship that I am not really focused on the points right now. Obviously, when I look back, it will be really special, but right now, I feel I am a bit more focused on the team and winning some more games.B次元官网网址�

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BraunB次元官网网址檚 two linemates B次元官网网址� Logan Speirs and brother Payton Braun B次元官网网址� finished second and fifth in league scoring with 103 and 84 points respectively.

All three did not play in MondayB次元官网网址檚 final regular season game, during which the Panthers wore their third jersey before giving them away after the game as part of their annual appreciation of Peninsula Minor Hockey Association.

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wolfgang.depner@peninsulanewsreview.com